The present invention relates to a system for the conditioning of various crops or foliage, for use in the agricultural and farming industry. The conditioning system facilitates the removal of moisture from the crop and reduces drying time.
When a crop such as hay or alfalfa is cut in the field, a windrower or swather is generally utilized. The windrower typically includes cutting surfaces to sever the fiber of the crop and the cut crop is left in a row in the field to dry before it is bailed or otherwise handled.
The time that it takes the crop to dry in the field before it can be bailed or further handled can be critical. It is very important to shorten that time as much as possible to avoid possible problems that may be encountered with the crop.
Devices referred to as conditioners are generally utilized to reduce the moisture in the crop, and/or to facilitate the faster drying of the crop. Conditioners are oftentimes mounted on a windrower, mower or other device, or they may be a separate unit. Conditioners currently available typically crimp and/or break down the stem of the hay and assist in the removal, or the facilitation of the moisture, in the fiber of the crop.
Conditioners typically include two or more elongated parallel rollers, slightly spaced apart from one another. The respective adjacent rollers rotate in opposite directions from one another such that the crop is fed through the gap between the two rollers. The rollers are typically made of steel, but with a rubber, elastomer or other compressible surface or coating around the circumference.
Conditioners or conditioning equipment may be operated as stationary equipment, mobile equipment, or combined with crop harvesting or swathing equipment.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide and improved crop conditioning system, and more particularly, an improved roller for use in a crop conditioning system.